Got It
by ameliaithink
Summary: This is the story of Finnick Odair's Hunger Games. How he met Annie and how he stayed strong and how he fought to get home just to see Annie's face again. Something unexpected might happen when Finnick when he returns home.
1. Got It

**AN: **Okay, so, quick note before we start. My boyfriend and I are total Hunger Games geeks and we've decided to write a Finnick/Annie fanfic between us. This chapter is in Finnick's point of view and is written by my boyfriend, Arthur. I'll be writing Annie's POV.  
We hope you enjoy!

* * *

"Got it!" I say as I swing the net over my shoulder, catching a big fish my father and I have been trying to catch for hours. "It's a big fish, isn't it, dad?"

"Yes, Finnick," he says, shrugging it off. "I notice you are kind of tense."

Of course I am. The reaping is in two days. "No, I'm okay, don't worry about it," I say but I am honestly really tense. Even if the odds are in my favour, I am still worried.

"Are you sure? Well, let's just go home. It's getting dark anyway."

"Okay. You go home, I am going to stay here for a minute," I say. As he leaves, I stay looking at the sunset by the beach.

As the sun sets, I can't help but notice a cry from not far away. I stand up and go running to where the cry is coming from. There is still a dim light so my eye catches where the cry comes from. It was from a girl who is laid on the ground sobbing her eyes out. I get a little closer and kneel before her and she notices me and looks up into my eyes.

I can't help but notice her deep green eyes. Green like the seaweed. Green like the beautiful leaves in summer. And I notice her black, wavy hair. I feel something I have never felt before. She has to start crying again for me to find my way out of her eyes, I am so lost in.

I ask her what is wrong. "I tripped. I have a bruise on my knee," she points at her left knee. "I was trying to catch a butterfly and tripped with a rock."

I take out a piece of seaweed and wrap it around her hurt knee. "There. That should do for now," I say as I stand up and give her a hand. She stands up and I offer to carry her.

When we arrive at the beach we just lay there for hours talking. "My name is Annie Cresta," she says with a soft and delicate voice. "What's yours?"

"Finnick," I say, still lost in her eyes.

"I haven't seen you in school before, that's weird."

"Oh, I don't go to school. My father doesn't let me. He says it's better if I spend my time fishing with him."

"Oh," that's all she says as she looks down to the beach.

"I actually regret not going to school now. I have been missing seeing you," I gasp regretting what I have just said.

She laughs in between lips. She grins and lays her head on my shoulder. "Thank you, Finnick."

"For what?"

"For helping me," she says softly while laughing a little in between words.

"Oh, it's nothing! Don't worry about it," I say. I can't help but grin a little. "You know, you are really pretty."

She turns red in a matter of seconds. And manages to pull a smile. You can see she does not receive a lot of compliments by the way she reacts. "Thank you, Finnick." She laughs a little.

Suddenly, I am surprised of what happens; she slides her hand close to mine and grabs it and moves closer to me.

I turn a little and just stare at her hair moving with the wind. And her green eyes concentrated on the deep blue sea.

We just lay there for hours until it's completely dark. "Thank you for saving me, my hero," she says as she stands up and plants a kiss on my lips.

I am left astonished for what just happened.

Was it a dream? I am in bed still astonished of what happened last night. No. It could not have been a dream. It was too real to be one. I can still taste her lips. Her beautiful and warm lips...

My father comes in and tells me to go fishing with him. I get ready and start walking to the beach. But then my eyes catch something really familiar. It was Annie. She was going to school. We catch each other's sight and I go running to her.

"Hey, Finnick," she says softly.

"Hello, Annie!" I notice something weird. I feel like something is wrong with Annie. She doesn't need to say it. No one does. She is scared. Nervous. She wants tomorrow to end now. Tomorrow is every kid's nightmare. The reaping.

"Finnick, I need someone to talk to," she says with such a unease.

I know what she wants to talk about.

I tell my dad that I want to take this day for myself. He understands and lets me go. Then, Annie decides to skip school and we go to the beach to talk.

When we arrive there she holds my hand and we sit down. "Finnick, are you nervous for tomorrow?" She asks.

"I am. Are you?"

"Yes," she says.

The odds are in my favour for being fourteen, my name is in the bowl three times. I don't know about Annie. "How many times is your name in the bowl?" I ask.

"Six times. I have signed for tessarae four times. I have one younger brother and my mother. My father died when I was born," she says.

Now I understand why she is nervous. My father and I make our living by selling fish. My mother died when she gave birth to me. The odds are not in her favour.

"Remember last year?" She says, "Ariel. She was only thirteen when she was picked to go to the Hunger Games..."

Of course I remember. Ariel, she used to buy me one fish every week. Unfortunately, she didn't survive the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. "I do," is all I say.

"Well, she only had her name twice in the bowl," she says with a tone of unease. She was one of the wealthiest people in District 4.

We just stare at the beach for ours. Until it becomes dark and we must go home. When we arrive at Annie's house, she just says "Good luck, Finnick," and plants a kiss on my lips and then leaves. Just like that.

This night is sleepless. I just stay in bed grasping on reality and hoping for the best. These mutts are following me, like in the Games they have shown on TV. I am left alone in a cold and dark arena. Those mutts are looking for me. They are trying to quench their thirst with my blood. Until one catches my leg. I try to kill it with a knife I found. It doesn't die. The only one who dies is me.

It's morning again. Today is the reaping. Today is a day where everyone is just scared for their kids' sake.

My dad makes me a fancy breakfast. I try to eat, but my guts won't let me. I am too scared to eat. I feel like if I eat anything, it would just come right up again. Today is a nightmare.

It's two o'clock so every kid must be in the city square in front of the fanciest building in the whole district, the Justice Building. I am lined up in the line where the other fourteen year old kids are. I am trying to look for Annie, but I can't find her. I hope she is here because, if she is not, she is going to get in serious trouble with the Peacekeepers.

There she is! She catches my glimpse and she looks sleepless, too. My heart is racing.

"Welcome, welcome!" Says this high-pitched voice, which I recognise immediately. It's Vera. She comes here every year to pick the two kids that are selected to go into the arena. Next to her is the Mayor and the two mentors, Mags and Jag. They have won the previous games so their job is to make us come out alive. But the problem is, only one can do that. Out of 24 kids.

"Thank you for joining in today!" Vera says very enthusiastically. "Now, let's hear a couple of words from the mayor of this district!"

As usual the major says a couple of words about the Dark Days and how we owe the Capitol, basically, our lives. This gets old.

"Now, let's see who are the lucky kids this year to participate in the 65th annual Hunger Games!" Vera says. As she goes to choose the name from the women's bowl, I am shaking and worried for Annie. "Maisie Orchid!" A whole weight is lifted off my shoulders.

The audience is silent. "Now for the boys!" As she walks to the boys' bowl, the time goes really slow. Seems like hours to me. Seems like hours to every boy in here. "Finnick Odair!"

That's me. I am going into the arena.

* * *

for my beautiful girlfriend Amelia. I love you.

-Arthur


	2. Look Of Terror

My heart thumps as Vera plucks a name from the girls' bowl. I look straight at Finnick, who is staring right back at me and mouthing "good luck".

"Maisie Orchids!" Vera calls out. I sigh with relief because it's not me, but then realise who it is. Maisie is the sixteen year old sister of my only friend from school, Beatrice. I look at her, paralysed, her mouth hanging open. But Maisie strolls up confidently. I remember that she'd been trained. I switch places with a few people so I can be next to Beatrice, who grasps my hand. I squeeze it reassuringly.

The wait for Vera to read out the male tribute's name seems even longer to me than waiting to hear my name. I look at Finnick and mouth "good luck" to him. He winks at me and smiles slightly. We're still looking at each other when his name is called. I see his confident smile drop, the look of terror in his eyes, but it flickers away for just a second. Only I see it. By the time he's out of the crowd, his cocky smile is back.

The two shake hands and then are ushered into the Justice Building, where I can only wonder what happens.

"She's clever, Beatrice," I whisper. "She could win."

"She won't win, Annie. We both know that," Beatrice bursts into tears and I hug her tightly.

"Come on," I say as she pulls away. "Let's go say our goodbyes."

She comes along silently which is a surprise, but as we reach the entrance to the Justice Building and she realises I'm not leaving, she looks at me, puzzled. "Who are you going to see?" She asks. I can't look her in the eye, I haven't told her about the time Finnick and I spent together yet.

"Finnick," I whisper. Luckily, before she has chance to question me, it's her turn to see Maisie. I wait outside alone, wondering what I'm going to say to him.

As Finnick's father leaves, I enter.

"Annie!" He gasps, rushing to hug me. He holds me tightly in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Finnick," I mumble into his chest.

"Shush," he whispers, pulling away and holding me at arm's length. "Hey, show me your teeth!" He laughs, forcing me to smile. Then he takes me by the hand and we sit down on the sofa. We don't say anything for a while, just sit and play with each other's hands.

"When I first saw you, Annie, I felt something... different, like nothing before," he says sheepishly, stumbling over his words.

"I felt it too," I admit. We say nothing else for a few more minutes.

"If you feel how I feel, am I safe to assume you'll be rooting for me?" He asks.

"Of course, Finnick. I'll tell you what; I'll wait for you to come home. I'll meet you where we first met; I'll be waiting for you there. Got it?"

"Got it. I won't let you down, Annie. Knowing you're waiting for me here is all I need to get through," he smiles sincerely, gazing into my eyes. We're leaning closer and closer, about to kiss, when the peacekeepers storm in. "Time's up!" One announces. Finnick shoot up, pulling me with him.

"Annie, I... I-" he struggles again.

"I know, Finnick. I do too," I smile. I plant a kiss on his soft lips and leave without looking back, because if I look back he'll see me cry. I wait until I hear the oak doors thud to a close behind me to let out my sobs, pushing away the two peacekeepers that are escorting me out the building. I run home, run past Beatrice who's waiting for me outside, run straight to my room and collapse into my pillow.

When no more tears come, I compose myself, try and make myself look pretty again, before walking to the train station to see Finnick off. His eyes never leave mine as I wave and watch the train leave the station.


	3. Unbroken Promises

"I love you," I mouth to Annie against the glass of the train. But she doesn't seem to notice, so I just wave and, as the train starts moving, a tear drops off my eye. "Stupid, Finnick. You don't want people to think you are weak!" I tell myself.

As I drag myself to what I suppose is my room, I see a plain shirt and some pants laid on the bed before me for me to wear. What first comes to my mind is to try to break out of the train, but I immediately cross it out of my mind because I know that's impossible and foolish. So I instead just throw myself on the bed. A soft moan leaves my lips when I feel the soft material of the bed sheets. Maybe these days to come won't be as bad as I thought they would be. But I can be wrong.

I don't know how many hours, minutes, or even seconds I was asleep, but I hear a knocking on the door that wakes me up from my slumber. I go to open the door, but I see nothing. As I close the door, I hear a high pitched voice calling for dinner. Vera. I go to the table and see a fancy laid out dinner for us; steak, weird green-coloured liquid and something Vera calls chocolate cake.

I want to eat this delicious meal, but I am still shocked. But I see Maisie swallowing as much steak as she can. Honestly, this girl can afford gaining some pounds. We all can. Then it hits me, what is Maisie's strategy for the Games? Has she already figured out a way to kill me? Well, I promised Annie I would make it back home alive. For Annie, I wouldn't hesitate to slit Maisie's throat open.

"Eat it while it's hot!" I hear Vera scream at me. "You won't want to eat it cold. It tastes horrible!" I bet someone from The Capitol doesn't know what horrible tastes like. Much less, what it feels like to skip meals because you don't have enough money to afford a little fish.

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking about how amazing it is to have food on the table," I say ironically.

Jag and Mags are staring at me like if I had just said something wrong. "So, kids, do you think you have a chance of winning the Games?" Says Mags.

The room falls silent. "You kids should have a lot of potential. You come from District 4," says Jag.

"I don't. I am too young. Maybe Maisie. I just know I can't win," I say.

"Don't bring yourself down, kid. You can win if you believe in yourself like your family and friends believe in you. Who knows, you might become the youngest winner of the Games Panem has ever had," says Mags, winking at me.

I just nod in response because my cheeks have turned red. "I'm not hungry. I think I'll get some sleep now that I can," I say, standing from the table and rushing into my room.

I spend the night sleepless. I can't stop thinking of what Mags said to me. Can I really win this? If I do it for Annie, I might. No. Not might. I will win for Annie! I promised her to come home alive. I promised her we will meet at the exact same spot we met two nights ago. I can't break her my promise. I don't care about the odds, we will make it through.

When dawn hits, I see some big mountains and then we enter them through a tunnel. When we exit the tunnel I see some weird figures that seem to be waving at us. Wait, those weird figures are people in odd outfits. I have heard the Capitol has a weird sense of fashion, but not so odd and scary looking. My first reaction is to ignore them, but then I remember seeing tributes on television waving back just to get sponsors. One sponsor is the difference between life and death, might as well just wave back.

When we are ordered to get off from the train, Mags takes me to a room where three persons wait for me. My prep team. One of them has yellow-tinted skin and has no hair. The second one has golden tattoos that let you barely see any skin. The last one has a weird jawline and really puffy red and blue lips.

As I am about to say to them, the yellow one injects something that makes me dizzy on my left arm and I pass out.

When I wake up, I see my prep team staring at me and waiting anxiously for me to wake up. "So, Finnick, do you like how you look?" Says the woman with the golden tattoos. "By the way, my name is Sybil!"

The yellow-tinted one stands up and says "My name is Johane!"

The guy with weird jawline says "My name is Gryll. Now that you are done, we will take you to Janine, your stylist. She will make sure you look your best for tonight's ceremony!"

As I am being led to another room by my prep team, I am hoping for the worse. When I enter the room I see a tall woman with pale skin and deep dark eyes. She doesn't look as surgically enhanced as everyone on the Capitol. Though, she has obviously some artificial lips and a wig. "Sit down, Finnick," she says. "I am glad you made it through my prep team. They are a little too picky. They seemed to like you."

Should I be glad some strangers that prepare me for slaughter like me? I don't think so, but all I say is "I am glad they do. Not a lot of people do."

She laughs a little. "Well, do you know you are going to a big ceremony tonight around the City Circle?" She says. I nod. "Well, I am in charged to make you look your best, so you can win some sponsors!"

I am dressed in a net that only covers my private parts with a little seaweed.

As Janine and I go down the elevator, we speak no words. When we get out, we see Maisie and her stylist. Maisie is dressed just like me; only a net with seaweed covers her privates.

Our stylists put us in the chariot that is going to take us to the City Circle where the president, Coriolanus Snow, will give a speech. I take a look around to see the other tributes and see that they are really big, especially the ones from District 1 and District 2.

The chariots begin to move and I grasp on my side. I don't wave I just stay put looking at the people cheering for us. It's funny how they will be cheering when 23 of us die slaughtered or starved to death. That is the reason I hate the people from the Capitol. They cheer when kids die in an arena every year and just wave it off like nothing happened. I despise them. I wish their kids were the ones playing these Games.

When we arrive at the City Circle, I see President Snow sat next to the Gamemakers. "Welcome! Welcome, tributes! We honour your sacrifice. I, Coriolanus Snow, wish you the best in these Games about to come. And remember, may the odds be ever in your favour!"


	4. Love & Friendship

As soon as the train leaves the station, I cry. Beatrice comes up and holds me and I automatically feel selfish. Finnick is just a boy I've known for two days, whereas Maisie is her sister. Maisie probably helped her get dressed this morning.

I dry my eyes and hug her tightly. "I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm being selfish. Let's go to the beach and talk."

We link arms and walk to the beach in silence. I can't bring myself to walk down to where Finnick and I had been laid, so Beatrice and I sit further down.

"I said goodbye to her in the Justice Building," she says, sniffing. "She told me to say my last words to her. She said that if she comes back I get to say 'I told you so'. I just know we're going to lose her. I know that's awful and I should be rooting for her, but..."

"I hope she proves you and herself wrong, Bea!"

"It's breaking my heart. I hate this," she clamps her hands to her mouth and looks around to check no-one's heard.

"Me too," I whisper, pulling her hands down from her mouth. "But we can't change it."

"Tell me about you and Finnick! Distract me!" She exclaims, excitedly.

I feel a blush creeping up my cheeks. "Do you really want to know?" I giggle. She nods, grinning. "Well, I was chasing a really pretty butterfly along the beach, when I tripped and fell. It hurt so bad I couldn't move, so I started shouting and he heard me. He just knelt there and stared into my eyes and I started blushing, but the sun was setting so he couldn't see, thankfully!" I pretend to wipe sweat from my brow, making Beatrice laugh. Then I continue, "after that, he wrapped seaweed around my leg as a sort of bandage and he picked me up in his arms and carried me further along the beach. We laid there for a while and talked about everything and he complimented me, we held hands, then we kissed when it was time to go. I met him the next day - yesterday - because I skipped school. I just wanted to talk to him about the reaping. He was sure he wouldn't get picked," I sigh.

"Annie, that's so cute! Have you fallen for him?"

"I think so. It's so fast, so I can't be sure."

"Hey, there's no time limit or anything. Have you never heard of love at first sight?"

"Maybe you're right. When I went to see him at the Justice Building he kinda told me he liked me, he just struggles with speaking about his emotions, I think."

"That's so sweet. If Maisie doesn't win, I want Finnick to win, for you," she smiles.

I squeeze her hand, "thank you, Bea."

We watch the sea for a while, lost in our thoughts, then wander home.

That night, as I'm sat at the table, I wonder what Finnick is eating. I'm glad he'll get a big, delicious meal. He deserves it.

I eat my fish and potatoes in silence, sat alone. When I'm done, I go up to my room and lay in bed, unable to sleep. I imagine Finnick curled in the soft Capitol sheets, looking like an angel as he sleeps.

That next morning, I'm almost excited to go to the big screen in the town square to see Finnick in his chariot. I'm the first there, so I sit cross-legged on the floor. Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman have banter about the tributes, making early judgments. It's not too long before the chariot

processions start and I eagerly wait for District 4.

He's there. The camera zooms right up to his face and my heart skips a beat. His face is set in a confident stare, glaring into the crowd. Maybe his tactic is to intimidate. When the camera pans out, I notice what he's wearing and blush. He's covered only in a fishing net, with seaweed covering the places they can't televise. I glance at Beatrice who's also embarrassed at seeing her sister like this.

Then someone behind me says, "that Finnick Odair is gorgeous! Look at his body! I can't believe he's only fourteen..." I feel a pang of jealousy but then remember it's me that Finnick is winning for, not her or anyone else.

Later that night, Claudius and Caesar are talking about what went off at training. Obviously, training isn't televised, so we have to rely on what the hosts tell us. "Moving on to District 4," Caesar says, turning a page in a notebook. "Well, it says here that Finnick Odair is wonderful!" He chuckles and looks at Claudius. "Looks like someone has a crush on him," he jokes. I feel another pang of jealousy.

Claudius surveys the notebook. "Yes, indeed! Apparently Mr Odair is talented at making nets and his weapon of choice is a trident. Interesting!"

"Now, I think he's one to watch," Caesar looks right into the camera. "Finnick Odair could well be our victor.


	5. Will I Make It Home?

"Finnick, I love you. Please, come back. I miss you," says Annie.

"I'm here, Annie," I hold her tight in my arms. "Sh, there is nothing to worry about anymore."

I wake up, gasping for air. Was it only a dream? Did Annie really was with me for a second? It felt so real. It felt like if I was holding her tight. I miss her. I wish it had been real.

"It's time for breakfast, wake up, wake up!" Vera is knocking on my door. "Today is an important day!" she says as she walks away.

I put on a plain white shirt and some pants that are laid before me and start walking towards the dining hall. As I walk in, I only see Vera, Mags and Janine sat on the table. "Where are the others?" I say.

"Oh. Hi, Finnick!" Mags greets me. "I don't have a clue of their whereabouts. They should be arriving soon."

A blonde Avox comes in and puts a bowl of beef stew in front of me and adds a shiny dust that is supposed to make the stew more flavourful. Then, she puts something Vera calls Latte. I start eating but all I can think about is last night's dream. It felt far too real to be only a dream. I hope one day I get to hold Annie in my arms and tell her I love her. I need to win these Games for her.

As soon as the blonde Avox brings the dessert, Maisie, her stylist and Jag appear. They seem like they have only woken up. "We were explaining Maisie what to do in training today," says Jag as he takes his seat. "Are you ready for today, Finnick?"

"Well, Finnick, I will talk to you about what to do today in private," says Mags.

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Mags," I say. As soon as I am done, Mags commands me into a room and tells me to take a seat.

"Finnick, here is the plan; Jag wants Maisie to be in the Career pack. I want you to join the Career tributes, friend them and convince them of what you have got. Show your best. The other careers won't pick you unless they think you could work for their benefit," says Mags staring deeply at me. I honestly detest the idea of joining the Career pack but I'll do anything for Annie.

"Okay, Mags," I say. Mags, from what I have heard, has a short attention span. But she now seems like she could kill me with looks.

"What are you capable of, kid?" Say Mags as she drinks from her cup of latte.

"I think I am capable of doing anything with a net. I can do snares!"

"Well, that might be good, but you need more," she says calmly now. "You need to show them who Finnick Odair really is."

What does she mean by who I really am? I am Finnick Odair. I am good at fishing. That's all I am good at.

As I return to my room, I see there is a black shirt with the number 4 on its back and black jeans laid before me. I guess this is the clothes they want me to wear for training. When I walk to the elevator, there is Maisie, wearing the same outfit as me, waiting for it to come. When the door opens we find, judging by the numbers on their shirts, the tributes from District 12 and the tributes from District 8. I step in and the elevator takes us to the training centre in silence. As we step out, I see everyone is here.

We receive a couple instructions from Atala, the woman that will be our guide throughout these three days of training. The instructions mainly are; "Never attack any other tribute. There will be special people to train and practise with," says Atala to everyone.

Like Mags told me, I go to the knot station and start practising making traps and snares. When the instructor notices I am advanced tying knots and making snares, he tries to teach me more advanced traps. One of them basically leaves a man hanging by their heads in a tree. An hour easily passes until I realise the career tributes aren't looking my way. They are practising with swords and spears and heavy weights. I see the male tribute from District 1 throwing 100 pounds of pure metal over a field. I see the female tribute from District 1 throwing a spear over 20 yards away. I see the female tribute from District 2 slashing the dummy's limbs with ease. I see the male tribute from District 2 running with heavy weights and throwing them really far away.

Suddenly I realise I am missing something. Maisie. Where is she? I turn and see her with the female tribute from District 2, slashing limbs. How could I have missed her? Is she that fast? She is probably already in the Career pack.

I stand up and go to the spear station and start throwing spears. At first, I suck. Then, after ten minutes, I manage to throw spears really far and manage to catch the female tribute from District 2's attention. "You seem really good at this," she says."Can you manage to place this spear in the dummy's heart?" She says as she hands me a spear.

I lean back and throw the spear as far as I can. It's in the dummy's heart. I gasp.

"Good job! My name is Sprya, by the way," she shakes my hand.

"I am Finnick," I say shaking her hand.

"Finnick, would you mind joining us for the Games?" Sprya says looking at me.

"It would be a pleasure," I say really unconvinced.

The day goes by with me talking to the Career tributes and training with them. I learn their names. Brymir is the male tribute from District 1. Atlia is the female tribute from District 1. Cambrio is the male tribute from District 2. And Sprya is the female tribute from District 2.

The next day I head down to the dining table. "How was your day? Did you make any friends?" Asks Mags.

"Good. I befriended the tributes from District 1 and 2. They want me in their pack," I say sure of myself.

"Great job! Now, keep the work for the rest of the training," Mags says as she finishes her tray.

The next two days are basically us - the tributes from District 1, 2 and Maisie together using spears and weights. I also take a look at some of the other tributes. Most of them are really thin and spend their training sessions at the plants station. There is this one tribute that catches my attention. The tribute from 10. He is tall and seems well fed. That's something really strange coming from such a poor District.

Now comes the private training with the Gamemakers. This will decide how many sponsors I will get. If I get a high number, which I doubt, I might get a lot of sponsors. If I get a low score, it's most likely I will have none.

They start calling the tributes for the private sessions. They start by calling the male tribute and then the female tribute. So, they start with Brymir and then with Atlia. And so on.

By the time the female tribute from District 3 is called, I get nervous. I yet don't know what to show the Gamemakers.

My name is called and I look at Maisie. "Good luck, Finnick. Show them what you've got," she says.

"I will. I will show them who Finnick Odair really is!"

When I'm called, I enter and see the Gamemakers drinking glasses of wine. "Welcome, Finnick. Show us what you have for us," says the head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane.

I suddenly start setting a simple snare, the only one that comes to my mind at the moment. My mind is so blank. Then, I see there is not much time left so I see a spear. I don't want to take my chances and fail. But there is no time left. I need to throw it as far as I can. I try to grab the spear but my hands are really sweaty. I take my chances. I throw the spear. I close my eyes and hear a chorus of gasps. I open my eyes and see the spear has landed in the dummy's heart. Just like Sprya told me to.

"You can leave now, Finnick," says Seneca.

As I get on the elevator I am still amused for what I've done.

I get to my floor and sit on the sofa and Janine, Mags, Jag, Maisie's stylist and Vera are sat there, anxiously waiting for me to tell them what and how I did. "I speared a dummy's heart and the Gamemakers where amused by it," I say, sighing.

Maisie comes in twenty minutes later. She seems exhausted. "I don't want to talk about it," she says as she sits down.

We wait anxiously for the results that will be televised now. I see Brymir got a 9. Atlia got an 8. Cambrio got a 9. And Sprya got a 9, too. I am biting my lip, waiting for my score. I got a 10. A 10? That seems so surreal, but I got a 10. Unbelievable. Janine and Mags start congratulating me. I am still astonished.

By the time it's Maisie's, turn we see she also got a 10. What did she do that was so impossible for her to talk about it?

We eat our dinner and celebrate our scores. In reality, there is nothing to celebrate. That just makes us a bigger target. Then I realise, I wonder how Annie feels about it. Will this give her a little hope, or will it just scare her like it scares me?

It's time to go to bed. I can't honestly afford any sleep. I can just imagine Annie's reaction. I imagine her being scared for my life. I imagine her being happy for me. I imagine her crying herself to sleep. I imagine her praying for my sake. But, in the end, this night is sleepless.

It's dawn already and I am still sleepless. Today are the interviews with the tributes. Vera calls in for breakfast.

When we sit down, everyone is quiet. Until Mags breaks the silence. "Finnick, remember, today we have the interview rehearsal," she says.

When we finish breakfast, she takes me to a room and starts questioning me. "What are we going to do with you? Hmph, you are easy. You are charming. Just be charming during the interview. Be flirty with the audience. Compliment them for being wonderful. You can easily pull that off," she says with such an ease.

"Are you sure? I am really shy. I don't tend to socialise with a lot of people. I've never been to school," I say.

"Yeah! They are going to fall in love with you!"

Love. That's all I want. I only want Annie's. Not from some kind of Capitol monster.

"Okay. I will," that's all I say.

We spend hours practising what to say. So far, I will flirt with the audience. Make silly jokes. And tell them about my family, which is only my father and me. My mother died when I was young.

I head to my room and try to sleep as much as I can. I fall asleep. It seems like hours and days. I dream of me and Annie in the soft sand holding each other and telling each other little stories. And in the end, kissing each other like there is no tomorrow. I love her. And she loves me.

Vera knocks on my door and tells me to get ready. I see that Janine has made an outfit for me. It's a white shirt with a little baby blue and a black vest with nets on the wrists.

All the tributes are sat in a semicircle and Caesar Flickerman introduces us one by one. He is a really enthusiastic guy. Even if your interview goes really bad, even if you are the shiest person, he will make your interview shiny. He will make anyone glow like the sun.

Brymir and Sprya decide to be rude and indifferent with the audience and Caesar. As odd as it sounds, the Capitol loves it. Atlia decides to go with the cute but dangerous kind of personality. Cambrio just shows what he wants. He is aggressive. The Capitol swallows everything.

Now it's Maisie's turn. "So, Maisie, tell me about your family," says Caesar brightly.

"Well, my family is basically me, my little sister and our dad," she says. "I have to bring the food to the table every day. I work selling the fishermen's fish and at the end of the day, I get three of the fishes for my family to eat. Sometimes the fishermen don't catch almost anything; he doesn't give me anything, so I have to steal some of my neighbour's food in the trash can."

"That's horrible, Maisie!" Says Caesar.

"I know, but that's just the life in the Districts," she says. Everyone gasps. Did she say something she should not have? Most likely, yes, because Caesar tries to finish this interview as fast as possible. I think the Capitol citizens don't know the life in the Districts yet. That's why they live so comfortable the way they do. They don't know anything. I hate the Capitol.

The buzz rings and it means Maisie's time is over. Now it's my turn. I need to be great. For Annie's sake.


	6. They're Off

For three evenings I sit and watch Claudius and Caesar talk about the highlights of the tributes' training. Every night they talk about how wonderful Finnick is and I'm filled with a surge of hope that soon we'll meet again and kiss and be together forever. At the same time, however, my heart is breaking for Beatrice. She's so sure Maisie won't win. I'm torn between my selfish need for Finnick and the pain my best friend must be feeling.

On the third evening, we sit in the town square in front of the big screen and wait for Claudius and Caesar to announce the scores from the private session. I'm glad we're only District 4 because the wait is horrible.

Beatrice and I are holding hands tightly as Caesar speaks. "Now, District 4!" He looks at his notes and allows an expression of shock to flicker across his face. This is either brilliant or terrible. "Maisie Orchid," he looks straight at the camera. "Ten!" He announces.

Beatrice gasps and let's go of my hand, covering her mouth. Tears spill down her cheeks as she realises Maisie has a chance.

"Finnick Odair," he continues. I close my eyes. "Ten!"

I have mixed emotions about Maisie's and Finnick's scores. While a 10 will gain them sponsors, it also makes them a target for the other tributes. Hopefully they'll join the Career pack, which will buy them more time.

Beatrice is over the moon and filled with hope, now. I'm so happy for her. We hug and jump around, before heading home to sleep.

The next day is the day of Finnick's interview with Caesar. I smile as I imagine him wolfing down a huge breakfast. I'm sat alone again, nibbling on the soggy crackers that is meant to be my breakfast. I hope one day, Finnick and I will wake up and have breakfast together and spend our day playing on the beach, no matter how old we are.

I spend the day doing chores, then at night I take a shower and get ready to go out to watch Finnick's interview. Finnick has probably been getting ready all day and now looks even more perfect than he would have before.

As I brush my long, dark hair, I imagine Finnick sat on my bed, talking to me. I miss him so much. It's funny how someone can change your life so much and so quickly. I spent two days with Finnick and I'm already struggling to cope without him.

I look forward to seeing his face tonight.

I hurry to the town square because I'm late, I didn't want to watch District 1, 2 or 3 anyway. I'm just in time to see Maisie twirl for Caesar. She's wearing a pale, sandy coloured dress with scalloped edges. When the camera zooms, I notice thousands of tiny seashells embroidered around the hem of the dress. Her hair is wrapped in a complicated style with seaweed braided through. It's the type of thing that would look distasteful anywhere else except the Capitol during the Games. She looks beautiful.

Maisie's interview is disastrous. When Caesar asks about her family, she reveals the conditions of the District. "Sometimes the fishermen don't catch almost anything; he doesn't give me anything, so I have to steal some of my neighbour's food in the trash can," she tells him. The audience is shocked.

Next to me, Beatrice sighs. "If a tribute doesn't get her, the Capitol will," she states. Everyone hears her. She stand up. "What? It's the truth! You know it is! You're all thinking it!" She storms off home, crying. I'll go see if she's okay after Finnick's interview.

A few moments later, Caesar is leading Finnick to a chair opposite him. "Finnick Odair!" He roars to the crowd. Finnick flashes this brilliant, gleaming smile and winks at the audience. He blows kisses to the cameras. Caesar sits down and Finnick follows suit. "Wow. Finnick Odair. Now that's the name of a winner! Don't you agree?" He asks the audience. They scream and clap, showing that they agree. I find myself clapping too, but people turn and stare at me so I stop."Tell us, Finnick, how did you get that 10?" Caesar moves closer, lowering his voice.

Finnick leans to whisper to him, "Oh, Caesar... If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Caesar throws his head back, laughing loud. "Very good,Finnick. We know it's a secret. I heard you flirted your way to a 10!"

"There are some harsh rumours!" Finnick joked. He winks at someone in the audience. "Maybe it's true, I don't know..."

"So, you're from District 4. You must eat a lot of fish. Have you tried the fish here?" Caesar changes the subject.

Finnick smiles, "I have, they even have our fish shaped loaves!"

"What's your favourite bit of the Capitol, so far?" Caesar asks.

Finnick runs a hand through his hair, then indicates at the audience, "I'd have to say it's you wonderful Capitol citizens. Back home, most people are so plain and dull. The Capitol is so vibrant! And let me tell you, the women here are out of this world..." Finnick winks at Caesar. I feel a pang of jealousy.

"Calm down, you! You're only fourteen!"

"I know beauty when I see it," he insists. I smile a little, hoping he's thinking of me.

"Do you have someone waiting for you back home, Finnick?" Caesar asks, leaning in again as if he's ready to hear a secret.

My heart races and I can't help but smile, knowing Finnick will tell the whole of Panem about me and how we're going to meet when he wins in the same spot we first kissed. Finnick smiles slightly. "No," he says. My jaw drops. Some girls behind me whisper about how they'd change that. I stand up and start to walk away."If I win, I'll move to the Capitol and hopefully get to know some of the lovely ladies in the audience!" I hear Finnick's voice say. It grows faint as I walk away.

Caesar's voice announces the end of Finnick's interview.

I run to Beatrice's house, where she's watching the interview on her own screen."Are you okay?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "The Capitol will make sure she dies," she says. We both know it's true."I watched Finnick's interview," she winces.

I shake my head. "I don't understand him. I thought he liked me."

"Maybe it's just for the Games?" She suggested. I hadn't considered this.

"I guess so," I agree. "But I'm still upset."

"This year's Games are going to be horrible for both of us, Annie. We have to stay strong for each other," Beatrice says solemnly.

I nod and hug her. "I'm so sorry about Maisie," I whisper.

"It's hard knowing she's going to die."

"She might still win!" I insist.

"I don't like talking about it. I'm sorry, Annie. I know you're trying to help."

"I'm always here for you, Bea. I'm gonna go home and try and sleep, see you tomorrow."

I walk home feeling sorry for myself and barely sleep at all. I keep reliving the short time I spent with Finnick.

The next time I leave the house is to watch Finnick enter the Games.  
I stand in the town square, hand-in-hand with Beatrice. The countdown begins. The entirety of District 4 stand in silence, as I'm sure other Districts do too.

Amazingly, as the camera zooms up to Finnick's face, my heart races. He has a look of sheer determination, a sheen of sweat on his face, as he calculates whether he should run to or away from the bloodbath. He still looks flawless. I smile, remembering that I've kissed those lips. If he wins and moves to the Capitol and finds some other girl, I can still proudly say that Finnick Odair was mine for a while.

The camera moves to Maisie and I squeeze Beatrice's hand. Maisie looks terrified, already turned ready to run from the bloodbath.

Claudius announces the start of the 65th Annual Hunger Games. The canon sounds. And they're off.


	7. Let the 65th Hunger Games Begin!

As soon as I get out of the interview with Caesar Flickerman, I go running to the elevator and go to level 4, my floor. When I get out of the elevator, I see everyone is sitting on the sofa facing the television screen. "What did you think of the interview, Mags?" I ask.

"It was splendid! I liked your flirty attitude. You obviously have the whole Capitol in your pocket, young man," she says.

"Thank you. But I think Maisie's interview…" I notice Maisie and Jag are not here with us. "Where is Maisie?" I scream at Mags.

"She is…" she loses herself for a moment, staring at the tiles. I have to call her attention. "She is with Jag in her room. She said something she should not have. But it might have been for good."

What does she mean by _'for good'_? That kind of stuff shouldn't be said here in the Capitol. The Capitol citizens think the lives in the Districts are as good as the lives here. And what Maisie said; _"Sometimes the fishermen don't catch almost anything; he doesn't give me anything, so I have to steal some of my neighbour's food in the trash can_._" _That could be punishable by the Capitol's authorities.

"I doubt they'll do anything to her, Finnick," Mags breaks in. "The Games are tomorrow. I don't think the Capitol will bother to take her out of the Games and get another tribute."

"Are you sure about that?" I ask.

"Completely sure. You go to sleep and I will check on Maisie and Jag to see if she is okay, deal?" She says smiling at me.

"Deal,' I say smiling back.

As I walk down to my room, I remember what I said in the interview and how Annie should have felt. She must have felt horrible, like if I had completely forgotten about her. She must know I did it for the sponsors. She must know that I love her unconditionally and that there is no other one for me. I enter my room and notice that everything in my room is dead – including me. I'll probably be dead in a matter of days or even hours. No. I cannot think like that. I promised Annie I would be back with her. I wonder how she feels about that promise now.

All I can hear are the people from the Capitol celebrating. Of course, they don't have to sit and watch their kids get murdered and slaughtered tomorrow and the weeks to come. This is why I despise the Capitol – they are cheering for the slaughter that is the Games. I start hitting my window as hard as I can.

When my arms are sore and I give up, I lie in my bed and attempt to follow Mags advice yo try to get some sleep. These next few weeks will probably be sleepless – well, if I make it through the bloodbath.

"_Stupid, Finnick. Get some sleep!"_ I am begging myself now. But, of course, this night will be sleepless, too. I wonder if Annie is sound asleep, dreaming about me. I doubt it. After what I said in the interview, I doubt she will ever want to see me ever again.

The thought of losing Annie haunts me throughout the entire night, so I start playing with a little knot. The Capitol let me have this, because it's not long enough to hang myself from it.

It's dawn already and the Capitol citizens have gone to sleep. Suddenly, someone knocks on my door. I am too tired to get up and see who it is. And I am too sleepless, I cannot say a word. So, I make a guttural sound with my throat. The door opens and there Vera stands. "Wake up, Finnick! Today is a really important day! Today is the day for the tributes to bright and fight!" says Vera.

When I get the energy to stand up, I see a pair of black pants and a red shirt laid before me. This is what they want me to wear for the arena. I put the clothes on and start walking down with Vera. She guides me to the elevator. The elevator takes me to a rooftop where a hovercraft waits for me.

As soon as I start walking down to the hovercraft, I catch a glimpse of Mags. "Good luck, Finnick. I trust you. You can win this," she says. I nod. She hugs me.

When I reach the hovercraft, some stairs start falling in front of me. When all my limbs are on the stairs, something freezes me and I can't move, then they start lifting me into the hovercraft. As soon as I am in the hovercraft, the door locked firmly behind me, I am un-paralysed. I guess it was to make sure I didn't run at the last minute. As soon as I stand up, a silver haired woman starts guiding me to my seat. When I sit, the woman injects me something in my left arm. "It's a tracker," she says – "so you don't get lost in the arena."

The ride to the arena seems like days and hours, but it only was thirty minutes, according the silver haired woman. We arrive and I am guided into a small dark room. When my eyes get used to the poor lighting, I see Janine sat on a sofa, in front of a coffee table. "Come here, Finnick," she says. She puts a jacket on me – a black and warm jacket. "There you go. You are ready for the Games." I just nod and stare into the distance.

We sit for a couple of minutes, when someone brings us our breakfast. I try to eat as much as I can. A voice calls for the tributes to step on the metal plate that's in the corner of the room. I step on the metal plate and wait for further instructions. A tube traps me and a voice starts; "Sixty! Fifty nine! Fifty eight!..."

Janine mouths "Good luck." And I just nod in return.

The plate starts lifting me. "Twenty eight, twenty seven..." I arrive to the arena. I see every tribute in a circle surrounding the Cornucopia. I try to catch a glimpse of Maisie and I see seven tributes to my right.

Should I run to the Cornucopia and face the bloodbath, or should I just run to the forest? "Eight, seven, six, five, four..." No time to decide. "Three, two, one." The gong rings out.

I don't think what I am doing, but my feet are running straight to the Cornucopia. I catch a glimpse of Sprya slashing someone's throat open. I can see a sword, a bag with – I guess food, and a box of matches. I take the sword and try to defend myself from upcoming tributes. The female tribute from District 7 comes my way, throwing axes at me. I manage to dodge the majority, but one axe cuts my leg open and the other axe swings by my cheek, leaving a small scratch. When she is close enough, I manage to slash her left thigh, leading to her falling on the ground. I take my opportunity and I sink my sword through her throat. I notice there are a lot of tributes rushing towards my location, so I pull my sword and go straight to where Maisie is.

"Is this alliance thing still going on or should I just slash your throat open like Sprya did to the male tribute from District 11?" I say to Maisie jokingly, but even I – deep down think I am being serious.

"Hah, yes. Just try not to get killed right now," she says. "Look to your right!" she says spearing the male tribute from District 12's heart. I swing my sword and manage to drive away one knife someone threw at me.

When I turn to my right, I see Brymir holding a kid by his neck and asphyxiating him to death. And right next to him is Atlia with blood on her hands and a sinister laugh.

I catch a glimpse of the male tribute from District 10 running with someone on his back. I want to go and chase him, but I don't want to leave the Career pack.

"Guys, I think it's time we went away," says Cambrio. He looks like no one has died. He does not look petrified like everyone else.

We start running to the woods really fast. We run for almost an hour, but then the sound of the canons firing stops us. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten..._ Ten tributes have died in the bloodbath! That is a very big number of dead tributes for the first day. We are down to fourteen more tributes now and I know where five are...

When we settle our camp, we sort out everything we got at the Cornucopia. We have a lot of food, a lot of weapons – the majority, and we have sheets for the cold nights. This is weird; not in every game, the Gamemakers put blankets. They only put blankets when the temperature drops below zero.

When we are done settling the camp, the sun drops down. We start putting traps around our camp and we are ready to go to sleep. "Let's all make a promise; we will not slit anyone's throat while we all sleep," says Sprya.

"Deal," we all say at the time.

Right after we finish talking, the anthem of Panem starts playing. When the anthem is finished, the faces of the dead tributes flash in the night sky. The male tribute from District 3, the male and female tribute from District 5, the female tribute from District 6, the female tribute from District 7, the male and female tribute from District 8, the male tribute from District 9, the male tribute from District 11 and, finally, the male tribute from District 12. Then the seal of Panem appears. Dark sky.

The minutes pass and I am still thinking about all the dead tributes and their families.

Atlia, Cambrio, Brymir, Sprya and Maisie have all afforded sleep, but I haven't. I try to drift myself to sleep by looking at the dead sky and wonder if it's real or if it's all Capitol made.

My eyes start closing and when I realise, it's dawn. The rest of the pack wakes up, too. "We should go recollect some plants," I say.

"Why? We have plenty of food here. We don't need to eat plants," Atlia says staring at me.

"Some of them might work for wounds!" I say angrily.

"Atlia, Finnick is right. We might need them," says Cambrio. "Let's go."

When Cambrio goes to the nearest tree after the traps we set last night, I see when he steps on an almost invisible thread the releases an axe, cutting his body into two halves.


	8. Annie's Turmoil

I wake up confused. Where am I? I'm curled up uncomfortably on the floor somewhere, dusty and cold. I sit up slowly, aching. I'm in the town square. The sun is rising, it's probably about six in the morning.

Since the Games started yesterday, I haven't moved. I've been sat cross legged in the same spot, shaking with the fear of Finnick being killed. I must have fallen asleep as the tributes did, when I was feeling slightly more confident that Finnick wouldn't be killed in his sleep.

Seeing that I've woken, the boy who's father owned the bakery comes to sit next to me. "You're the Cresta girl, aren't you?" He asks.

I frown slightly. "Yes, my name's Annie. Who are you?"

"I'm Cole," he smiles. He seems friendly. "There are some rumours about you, Annie."

"Oh?" I'm uninterested. There have been plenty of rumours in the past. People enjoy targeting me.

"Can I ask you some questions?" He asks sincerely.

I sigh. What have I got to lose, really? "Sure," I shrug. "Go ahead."

"Is it true that Odair told you he loves you?"

"No. He didn't say it as such. He implied it."

"So, are you an item?"

"He's in the Games."

"Is that a no?"

"No, it's a 'he's in the Games'," I snap. "What are the rumours, anyway?"

"Just that you and Finnick are an item," He seems almost apologetic.

"Why would it matter if we were?"

"People are just shocked, that's all. If it were true, it would be heartbreaking. That's what I think, anyway."

"Let me guess, they're shocked because they refuse to believe that someone like Finnick Odair could ever love someone like Annie Cresta!" I scoff. "It's complicated. It's not really anyone's business." I trace patterns in the dust, regretting letting Cole ask me these questions. He doesn't stop.

"Why did Finnick say there was no-one waiting at home?"

"I don't know. It hurts to think about it. I'd rather you stopped asking me things now," I say, not caring if I sound rude or not.

"I'm sorry," he says simply. "I just wanted to know."

"Well now you know. You can go run and tell your friends or whatever."

He says nothing as he walks away. I decide I don't like him very much.  
I stay sat there for a while until the next hourly catch up by Caesar and Claudius. At the moment, clips from previous Games are being played.  
The bell from the clock tower chimes seven and Panem's anthem plays. Then, Caesar and Claudius' desk appears. They walk in from each side, sit down and tap some notes on the table, fixing them so they're straight.

"Good morning, Panem!" Caesar smiles. "Let's get right down to business, shall we? We'll go back a few hours now, for the bloodbath!" The screen shows the tributes setting off in slow motion. Caesar and Claudius' faces are in a box in the corner of the screen. "We'll start with the male from District 3 - Adrian," Caesar says.

The camera pans to a small, slight boy, no older than me, running quickly from the Cornucopia. He veers closer to the bloodbath, snatching up a medium sized bag. Suddenly, he trips and falls. The muscled boy from District 10 sees this as an opportunity and runs to him. Adrian cowers behind his bag, whimpering. Tears prick my eyes. He looks so alone, so helpless. I hate the Games. I see District 10 raise his fist and snatch the bag away. As he reveals a dagger in his hand, I cover my eyes.

"Next we have the District 5 male, take a look..." The screen shows the boy and one of the Careers fighting. Suddenly, the boy is being lifted from the ground. The Career has his hands wrapped around his throat. Before long, he throws him to the ground and kicks him to be sure he's dead.

I sit through and watch more deaths. The worst is District 8. The two run into the bloodbath holding hands. The girl picks up a bag and a few swords and hands one to the boy and she runs away. He follows her and suddenly slows down. She turns around, confused. The boy, a tall, muscular, dark skinned eighteen year old, grabs her head and pulls it back, ready to slit her throat. Realising this, the slender, fourteen year old girl sinks her sword into his stomach. He buckles over in pain, still holding onto her, bringing her down with him. His last move is to run the sharpest edge over her artery, prominently beating because of the pain. She lies and waits for her death to come, crushed by the other tribute who's already dead.

Caesar is about to introduce the next death, when a canon echoes in the background. Confused, he glances at Claudius. "Was that a...?" He begins, cut short by Claudius nodding. Straight away they have a serious face, talking into ear pieces. "Okay, we can now announce the death of Cambrio from District 2. Let's show the footage," Caesar says efficiently.

The camera must be hidden in a tree. Our view is, at the moment, sleeping tributes. I catch a glimpse of Finnick, still awake, staring at the sky. My heart skips a beat. The other tributes begin to wake and I hear Finnick suggest that they collect some plants for healing. Cambrio, a tall, muscular boy, probably around 17, agrees and moves toward the camera. Something glints in the light of the sunrise - a thread, perhaps? All at once, a huge axe swings down. Two halves of Cambrio fall to the floor with a sickening thud.  
Maisie's face turns pale and she turns away. We hear her vomit. The canon sounds and the other tributes look like they're about to move away so Cambrio's body can be collected.

The screen shows Caesar and Claudius again, sat looking very solemn. Caesar is about to read something from his notes, when he pauses and listens to his ear piece, agrees to something, and the screen fades, showing the Career pack in the arena.

A faint rustle in the trees causes Finnick's head to jolt towards that direction. "Get down!" He shouts, surveying the branches in a calculating manner. He grabs a spear and is about to launch it, when whoever it is begins to throw knives. From our angle, it is clear that the tribute is targeting Sprya. I realise that I've leapt to my feet, probably when I saw Finnick, and I slowly sit back down, seeing that Finnick is not the target. He's safe.  
Whoever the tribute is, they're terrifyingly skilled with knives. When the canon sounds, after the last knife is thrown, I realise I haven't taken my eyes off of Finnick. I look at Sprya. A knife in each wrist pins her to the ground, her arms flung apart as if she's reaching out for help. A knife is lodged in her throat, her chest and her stomach. There are a few knifes stuck in the ground. Finnick grabs one and throws it skilfully in the direction of the killer. A thud and a moan indicate that he hit his target but didn't kill. The tribute still rustles though the branches. Finnick throws another knife but misses.

Maisie, Atlia and Brymir emerge from the bushes. Maisie asks who it was but Finnick says he doesn't know, noting that they were good with knives, sprinting and climbing trees.

Atlia begins to pull the knives from Sprya's body.

"Atlia, what the hell are you doing?" Brymir shouts, raging.

"Sprya won't be needing them. Do you want to survive? Why should we waste weapons?"

Everyone is silent, then Maisie quietly murmurs, "she does have a point," and Atlia continues.

"Let's pack up and move away, we'll need to keep on the move. We've been found once, someone's even set a trap while we slept. We can't risk that again," Finnick says. He seems so much older in the Games.

The remaining Careers pack their stuff and travel, collecting berries and plants that they know to be safe.

The screen then changes to show a wounded tribute with a knife in his leg - the male from 10. He's shockingly muscular, which is odd for a non-Career tribute. Maybe he worked on a ranch in District 10. I recognised him from the bloodbath. I saw him carrying someone on his back. As he moves through the trees back to his shelter, I remember something Caesar said; "Afram, the male tribute from District 10 is eighteen years old. A Hunger Games first - he was reaped with his 12 year old sister, Abina."

My heart breaks and tears spill over my cheeks. All I can think about is their parents and any other family they may have. How hard it must be to think that two of their children could die.

I have never been so emotionally attached to the Games before. Maybe it's because I understand it better, now that I have to go through the turmoil of seeing my Finnick risk death every day.

Afram reaches his sister in the shelter, who notices the knife still stuck in his leg.

"I know, I know. I just killed off District 2, Abina."

"You did?" She looks so innocent and scared.

"That's right. You're gonna win this."

"What about you?" She says, whining slightly. She scoots closer to him, looking tiny next to his large, muscular frame.

He's busy tying a vine around his leg to stop the bleeding before he pulls out the knife. When he does so, he groans. He sits and starts sobbing, his sister putting her arms around him as an attempt to comfort him. "You'll win this, Abina. I'll make sure you do."

This is sure to get them plenty of sponsors. I wonder if Afram planned this.  
The camera fades dramatically with a sad swell of the orchestral background music. In past years, I liked the music they played. It made it easier to pretend that it was just a TV show and this wasn't actually happening. But now, it just makes me even more aware that this is the Capitol's sick game.


	9. Strewn Blood

As the top half of Cambrio falls to the ground, there are slight movements on the trees. "Get down!" I scream to everyone. I roll to see if I can throw a spear at them. When I am about to throw the spear, a rain of knives fall on Sprya, leaving her pinned to the bloodied ground. _"That's it for District 2,"_ I think.

Atlia, Brymir and Maisie run to a bush nearby and I stay in the open field trying to kill whoever killed the tributes from District 2. I catch a glimpse of it and unbury a knife from the ground and throw it the killer's way. I can hear a small moan but it is still moving, slower, but alive. I unbury another knife and throw it where I can see the killer's shadow, but I miss.

The killer is far gone when Maisie and the rest come out. "Who was that, Finnick?" Says Maisie.

"I don't know, but whoever that was, is pretty good with knives and knows how to sprint and climb trees really fast," I say.

Ugh. That tribute really played us off. He killed Cambrio and Sprya in less than a minute.

As I try to think what to do now, I see Atlia picking up the knives that killed Sprya.

"Atlia, what the hell are you doing?" Brymir starts to shout, making Maisie get a look I had never seen before.

"Sprya won't be needing them. Do you want to survive? Why should we waste weapons?" Says Brymir convincingly.

Everyone falls silent. Maisie suddenly changes expressions, "She does have a point." So, Atlia continues to pick up the knives.

As Atlia unburies the knife from Sprya's neck, a pool of blood starts forming on the ground, under Sprya's neck. "Let's pack up and move away, we'll need to keep on the move. We've been found once; someone's even set a trap while we slept. We can't risk that again," I sigh heavily. "What are you waiting for?! Let's move on!" I start screaming.

Everyone seems shocked about me screaming. Maisie has a weird, yet unreadable expression.

We continue walking and we start collecting leaves and berries in case we need them. One of them catches my attention. It's a dark berry, one I have never seen before. I decide to put it in my pocket and see if there is any way I can examine it later.

We continue walking for what it seems like hours. "Let's take a rest. I am tired," sighs Brymir.

"Why are you so tired all of a sudden?" I say.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm still beat up from the bloodbath from yesterday," he sighs again.

"Okay. Finnick, let's just take a little break, shall we?" Maisie says.

We rest for a couple of minutes and suddenly I am falling asleep.

I am suddenly in a wild, yet strange place. A place that seems like no one has lived here for centuries. "Finnick!" Someone calls my name from the beyond.

"Who is there?" I say.

"Finnick!" Still, someone is calling my name. I start running towards it. As I get closer, the voice sounds more and more agonising. I've been walking for what it seems like one hour now.

I reach to the point where the voice sounds like it's screaming agonisingly into my ear. I breakdown. The voice sounds awfully familiar. "FINNICK!" Various voices are calling me from various places now. "FINNICK!"

"Finnick!" Maisie's in my face now. I've apparently woken up now. "Finnick, wake up. We have to go now."

What was that all about? Might have been just a bad dream. "Okay, let's go now." I struggle to stand up. I struggle to stand up. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

When I regain my feet we continue walking and continue collecting berries down the path. _BOOM!_ "What was that?!" says Maisie.

"I don't know. It sounded like a canon. Who do you think died?" Says Brymir.

"How many tributes have been killed so far?" Says Atlia.

"Well, Cambrio, Sprya, female tribute from 7, male tribute from District 11, male tribute from District 12, male and female tributes from District 5..." I say.

"District 8 is out, too and so is the male tribute from 3," adds Maisie.

"And male tribute from 9 and male tribute from 6... and the one that has just been killed" adds Atlia.

"That's thirteen down so far..." I say. _Thirteen_?! They are going down pretty quickly. "If it continues like this, we'll have a victor before the week ends."

We all stare down at our feet. I know what everyone is thinking. By the speed of the deaths, no one is to be trusted here. But no one says a word. And we continue walking in silence.

"Let's go back to the Cornucopia and see if there are more useful weapons there," suggests Brymir.

Everyone nods, so we start running to the Cornucopia. The jungle is getting moist and the air is feeling really dense and heavy. This surely is art of the Gamemakers. No jungle can change its environment so quickly and accurate. It is getting hard to breathe with this dense air. It seems like we are climbing a hill.

We continue walking, hardly breathing until we feel a rumble on the ground. "Did you guys feel that?" I say.

"Yeah! What was that?" Says Maisie with her face covered in sweat.

It rumbles again. But this time the rumble feels stronger. "Is the earth shaking?!" I scream. But no one can hear me from all the noise this rumble is causing. I try to get a grasp on something firm because I feel like I'm going to fall, but the tree before us starts to fall and we have to move away from it.

A second later I am slammed against a tree by someone. I see his face. Golden hair, deep black eyes, a glare that has the words _I Will Kill You_ written in. He is holding me against the tree trunk with his right forearm, choking me. Everything about this person screams danger. I notice this guy has a knife on his hand, the one that's holding me. Am I going to die? Surely, yes.

I might as well give up. He is going to kill me now.

Suddenly, a memory passes through my mind. The memory of Annie kissing me. _Annie!_ I cannot let this guy kill me right now; I made a promise to Annie. "I am not the kind of guy who breaks promises," I scream and hit the guy with my right arm on his ribcage, setting me free. I start looking for a knife; I might have dropped one when I was slammed against the tree.

But then, he comes with his knife not further than a foot from my face. I manage to dodge it and roll far from him. When I stand up, our eyes meet again. Yes, he is trying to kill me. But I will kill him first. He slashes his knife but doesn't hit me, so I take my chances and hit him on the right cheek. He falls to the ground and I go look for a knife. I cannot find it anywhere! Suddenly I feel someone sawing my leg off. He manages to cut open part of my left thigh. I fall to the ground. He comes at me again, but this time he got a bigger knife – a sword.

I try to run from him but I am limping, which won't get me too far. Then, I catch a glimpse of a long knife and grab it and slash it at him, but the knife collides with the sword. I slash it again, but he dodges it. I try to hit a vital point with my knife, he moves, trying to dodge it, but I hit his stomach. The bleeding is too severe. He can't continue fighting.

The next thing that happens seems so humanly impossible; he unburies the knife from his stomach and jumps at least three feet and grasps on a tree. He climbs the tree with such easiness. I try to grab my knife and throw it at him, but he is too far already.

As I come to my senses, I remember there was a rumble not longer than a minute ago. When I walk - limp my way back to where Maisie, Atlia and Brymir were, they are nowhere to be found. Maybe they all died in the rumble and it made my job a lot easier.

I look down at my wound for the first time and see my leg covered in gore. I pass out. The next thing I know, I am in that wild yet strange place again. But this time there is someone standing almost twenty feet in front of me. Annie. "Annie!" She does not answer. "Annie!" I scream again. When I see she does not move, I start walking towards her. When I'm close enough to touch her, I reach my arm for her shoulder. She disappears.

I am astonished. What happened to Annie? I hope she is okay. I wake up. I try to walk and notice the limping is almost gone. How much time have I been passed out?

I don't know where Maisie, Atlia and Brymir are. The rumble might have split us apart. Maybe it was a plan of the Gamemakers. "Yes!" I scream. I cover my mouth immediately avoiding any clue of my whereabouts.

As I reach the Cornucopia, it seems lonely. Thinking about it; I haven't heard a single sound since I woke up from my weird dream. I get inside the Cornucopia just to find nothing. Seems like all the tributes emptied the Cornucopia this year. I should better continue walking. When I'm about to get out of the Cornucopia, a drop falls on my forehead and slides all the way to my cheek. I see what the drop is and it's red. Blood! I look up. Atlia, Maisie and Brymir are hung by their neck with their bodies all soaked in blood. Dead.


End file.
